Teen-mom effects pushed Chyn to surgery

In recent times, more female Jamaican public figures have undergone surgery as they reach for perfection. Entertainer Shauna Chyn told THE STAR that as female entertainers, the pressure is definitely on where image is concerned.

"People do it (surgery) for different reasons. Some do it because dem a look a hype, others do it because dem have some flaws weh dem need to get rid of. I did it because I became a mother at 17 and I had saggy skin here and there. And when me come inna di spotlight, me never like when me watch a video and see things a spill out here and there. I knew I had to shape up myself the right way so I can be confident on stage. When we a work pan stage and we nuh look good, a di same people dem ago bash yuh and say yuh stay bad," she said.

Emphasising that people are hard to please, Chyn said: "If yah go change something about yourself, don't do it to please people, do it to please yourself, and always remember dat nuff a who yuh hear a cuss, dem have things weh dem wah fix to but don't have the money to do it or dem fraid."

Aesthetician and entertainment stylist Racquel Byles of Body Trendz says she does non-surgical procedures and has had a number of female entertainers as clients over the last few years. She explained that many of them want to make adjustments to their bodies because, as artistes, they have to compete with each other in Jamaica and with those artistes in the international space. She explained that the advent of social media has made the image race all the more competitive.

"Keeping up with the competition when everybody is vying for attention is what's driving more and more female entertainers into altering their bodies. The Internet and social media, for example, have brought the whole perfection thing out more. People out there are looking at entertainers and they are very critical; dem looking if dem have cellulite, belly fat, and so on, and these people are humans, so of course if they can fix these things they're going to," Byles said. "You have to be looking like a celebrity in 2018. Music is not just about music anymore, it's also about image."

Completely OK with entertainers who choose to go under the knife to obtain perfection, Byles believes that altering one's body sends a message of confidence as it shows that one has the power to change what they don't like and is taking the bold step to do so.